This invention relates to an alignment device for aligning a putter on an intended line that traverses through an impact point of a golf ball resting on the intended line of the putt. Utilizing this device, a golfer is able to correlate the perceived alignment of the ball with the actual direction of impact required to maximize the probability that the ball travels in the desired direction.
The direction in which a golf ball rolls depends on a variety of factors, some of which include the relative “speed” of the green, the slope, the lie of the ground beneath the ball, and the way in which the golfer sets up, or “addresses,” the ball. It is the combination of these factors that affect how the ball is struck and rolls. While the skilled golfer is able to consistently control the setup, judging the speed and slope of every green comes with years of practice and experience. Greens may have any type, or combination of types, of slopes that must be considered when addressing the ball, such as a straight flat lie, straight downhill lie, straight uphill lie, left to right uphill lie, left to right downhill lie, right to left uphill lie, left to right downhill lie, straight sidehill lie that ultimately breaks left, and straight sidehill lie that ultimately breaks right.
Aside from the environmental factors, there is a perceptual factor based on parallax between the position of the player's body and the ball that affects the ability of the golfer to translate what is perceived as the required direction of impact on the ball, into the direction of actual impact. If the body, particularly the head, eyes and shoulders, is not correctly aligned, the player will believe that the ball is being struck in the desired direction, when in fact the ball is being struck in an undesired direction.
The principle behind the invention described in this application is that the more closely and consistently the ball is positioned in a substantially bi-directionally perpendicular orientation under the dominant eye of the golfer, or at least at an angle in which a golfer can learn to recognize and repeatedly position his/her dominant eye regardless of the slope of the putting surface, the greater the probability that the putter will be aligned properly behind the ball, so that the ball will be struck in the desired direction. The term “perpendicular” as used herein is intended to refer to the position of the eye line in relation to the ball as it lies on the putting surface, and the term “bi-directional” is intended to refer to the visual bisecting of the ball by the device when the eye line is perpendicular to the putting surface. As the impact on the backside of the ball occurs, it is the intended line of the putt as it intersects the backside of the ball that should be perpendicular with the dominant eye of the golfer.
The reasoning behind the assumption is twofold. First, when the dominant eye is bi-directionally perpendicular to the back of the ball as it rests on the intended line of the putt, the parallax of improper positioning, i.e. inside, outside, in front of, behind or any possible combination, over the ball is reduced or eliminated. Secondly, the ability to swing the putter in a pendulum fashion back and through along the intended line of the putt is optimized and, therefore, maximizes energy transfer more consistently from the putter to the back of the ball, resulting in more consistent distance and direction.
It is known that alignment of the ball is an important factor in translating the intended direction of the ball into the actual direction. Of course, the official rules of play do not permit the use of alignment devices beyond what can be legally applied to the putter head itself, such as positioning lines, a representation of balls directly behind the putter face, and so forth. Thus, proper training should include a means by which a player can learn by repetition in practice the proper place of the dominant eye and weight distribution in relation to the ball, putter head, and the intended line on any particular slope. Practice, trial-and-error correction, and further repetition of the corrected position have been shown to improve positioning of the putter on the intended line behind the ball in a perpendicular position beneath the dominant eye. It should be understood that the term “perpendicular” as used herein does not imply only an exact 90 degree orientation with reference to the putting surface, and may include a position perceived by the player as being perpendicular, even though deviating from perpendicular. Therefore, the invention allows for a golfer to identify and master the preferred setup, even though it may vary slightly from the more technically correct positioning.
This ability to properly position the putter on the intended line behind the ball is then taken to the golf course during play, where the golfer studied the green conditions and slope to determine the appropriate force and direction of the putt, and then applying the perceptual factor to properly strike the ball, causing it to roll in the desired direction.